Lord: I can see loyalty.

"We tracked the attackers from the village to here." Vio stepped forward, gesturing for the hunter beside him to lower his weapon, but his eyes remained wary.

A glint flashed in his eyes as he brought up the other party's interface:

Name: Albright

Race: Human

Age: 27

[Faction: Loba Mountain Cooper Tribe]

[Hobbies: Forging, hunting, collecting and crafting weapons]

【Characteristics: Immense strength, agility, superb martial arts skills, combat experience, and rich hunting experience】

Loyalty: Not loyal to you

Status: Alert, Observing

"The attackers?" Albright's thick eyebrows framed a glance at the knights and hunters behind Vio. "Have those guys already started moving outwards...?"

"You know them?" Vio stared intently at the other person.

"You know?" Albright's lips curled into a disdainful smile. "We, the Cooper and Harlow families, have been locked in a bloody battle for three generations in these mountains."

The Cooper warriors behind him let out low, approving hums, their eyes filled with undisguised disgust as they looked at the Haro corpse, as if it were some kind of filthy pest.

"Those guys used to be like us, until they started worshipping the twisted monsters that appeared in that valley..."

"The same kind?" Jimmy couldn't help but ask, his gaze sweeping over the various forms of death of the Haro people.

Albright's voice trailed off, tinged with a hint of heaviness. "The Harlows beyond the mountains were once a clan under the king's rule, but it wasn't until they began to worship that twisted thing, learning the use of poison and those..."

He pointed the tip of his spear at a gnawed corpse with disgust. "A desecration of flesh and blood. They abandoned their honor as hunters and became beasts lurking in the shadows."

The old mage Valentine staggered forward, clutching a small amount of black substance mixed with dried blood, scraped from a Haro weapon.

He sniffed it, a look of worry in his eyes: "There's necromancy... remnants. Although it's different from the Eclipse God deep in the desert, it's just as nauseating."

For the first time, Albright turned a serious look to Valentine and nodded: "The old man is right. The things that the Haro people worship are hidden deep in the Loba Mountains and have the power to corrupt life and death."

He paused, then looked at Vio again. "You're wearing metal suits and leading a large group of people. You look like those territorial hunters from outside the mountains. What's your objective? If it's just retaliation, this outpost of the Haro tribe has already been eliminated. If you want to go deeper..."

He shook his head, his tone hardening, "Loba Mountain does not welcome outsiders who bring so much iron and fury; the forest will feel uneasy."

Vio sensed the warning in the other person's words and also caught the underlying information—the Cooper and Harlow tribes were sworn enemies, guarding the forests and being xenophobic, but they still maintained a certain degree of rationality and communicability.

"We came here primarily to deter the next attack and protect my villagers," Vio answered honestly but somewhat reservedly, pointing in the direction of the village. "As for Mount Loba itself, we have no intention of offending it unless absolutely necessary."

"But if the threat from the Haro tribe continues, it doesn't look good for either my territory or the forests you protect."

Albright silently scrutinized Vio, as if weighing the truth in his words.

The forest was quiet for a moment, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the treetops and the renewed chirping of birds in the distance.

"You killed quite a few Haro warriors; you seem to be better than most outsiders."

After a long silence, Albright spoke again, her tone slightly softer, "But with you clumsy metal cans and those trembling ones behind you..."

He glanced at the somewhat nervous local hunters. "Trying to find and clear out the true lair of the Haro tribe will only turn you into fertilizer for the forest."

Although his words were blunt, Vio understood the meaning behind them.

“Then, Cooper’s warriors,” Vio calmly met Albright’s gaze, “since we share a common enemy, and you are familiar with this forest and the enemy’s tricks, perhaps… we can cooperate.”

"Cooperation?" Several Cooper warriors behind Albright chuckled softly, clearly showing their distrust of outsiders.

Albright, who was at the very front, frowned slightly and raised her hand to stop them from acting.

He turned around and spoke quickly with several companions who seemed to be of similar high status in a foreign language that Navio and the others could hardly understand. Their tone was intense, as if they were arguing.

Finally, Albright turned back and looked at Vio with a complicated expression.

“The forest doesn’t trust the scent of outsiders, especially those carrying so many weapons and unfamiliar magic.” He glanced at Valentine. “But that monster must be eliminated. The Harlows’ recent activities have been moving closer and closer to the edge of the forest, which is very unusual and may be related to what they worship.”

He made his decision, his tone resolute: "I can take you to see our 'King,' and he will make the decision. But if he does not agree to cooperate, you must leave immediately."

"If you agree and promise not to venture deep into the sacred forest, we can take you to see the King."

Clearly, this was the answer they reached after negotiations, and Albright seemed willing to cooperate with them.

Vio thought for a moment, then nodded decisively: "Okay, we accept this condition. Please lead the way."

Albright gave him a deep look, as if trying to find a trace of lying in his eyes, but all she got were unchanging pupils.

In the end, he could only utter a single word: "Okay."

He gestured, and the Cooper warriors, just as they had arrived, silently dispersed and disappeared into the shadows of the surrounding trees, leaving only Albright and two other tall warriors as guides.

"Stay close, watch your step, don't touch any plants, and don't stray from the path we've marked."

Albright dropped the warning and turned to walk into the depths of the forest, her steps light and swift, as if she knew it intimately.

Vio turned around and nodded slightly to Jimmy and the others. The group quickly regrouped and headed deeper into the Loba Mountains.

After everyone had left, only the dead barbarian warriors remained in the devastated forest clearing.

But the next moment, a Harlow warrior who should have been dead for a long time suddenly began to convulse violently!

His bones and muscles twisted in a bizarre way, and then he stood up, but his eyes had already lost their vitality.

The soldier stood up and stood there in a daze, but after a moment, as if he had received an order, he suddenly turned his head and also ran towards the depths of the Loba Mountains in a twisting motion.